Fence-post driver



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. H. KETOHAM. FENCE POST DRIVER.

No. 500,138. Patented June 27, 1893.

m: scams pzrzns co.. PNOTOLITNQ. WASHINGTON, a. c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. L. H. KETCHAM.

FENGEPOST DRIVER.

No. 500,138. I Patented June 27, 1893.

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LINCOLN H. KETOHAM, OF OOMLEY, OHIO.

FENCE-POST DRIVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 500,138, dated June 27, 1893.

Application filed January 31, 1893- Serial No- (N0 111011911) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LINCOLN H. KETCHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oomley, in the county of Perry and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Machine for Driving Fence-Posts, of which the following of building the fence, and to conveniently drive the post into the ground; and to gage the distance between the same, whereby they may be uniform. Furthermore to so construct the machine as to adapt it to drive the posts vertically regardless of the undulations or rolling character of the surface of the ground upon which the machine is operating.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain features of construction hereinafter specified and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawingsz Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention, the same being in the act of driving a post. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is a perspective view in detail of the hammer-engaging tongs.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1l designates a pair of opposite runners, though it may be ordinary sills of a suitable frame to be mounted on a truck to render the machine portable. I, however, prefer the runners, and provide the same at their lower edges with metal anchoring flanges 2, which protrude beyond the lower edges of the runners and are designed to cut into the ground, whereby the machine is rendered more stable in operation than were it mounted upon a portable wheeled truck. The runners are connected at about their centers with a transverse beam 3, and at other points by suitable tie-bars. At their front ends there is located a draft-pole 4, the same being of ordinary construction and requiring no specific description. At the opposite ends of the runners are located posts or standards 5, each of which is bifurcated, and has jourualed between its bifurcations a small winding drum 6, operated by a crank-handle 7. Each drum carries a ratchet-wheel 8 fast therewith, and pivoted pawl-levers 9 of bell-crank shape are located at'the sides of the post 5, and are designed to engage removably with the teeth of the aforesaid ratchet-wheels, whereby the latter are prevented from rotating in one direction.

Uprights 10 rise from each of the runners 1 in rear of the front pair of posts 5, and the same are crowned and connected by a crossbar 11. Upon the cross-barll near the ends thereof pairs of bearings 12 are located, and in these bearings are journaled pulleys or loose rollers 13. ihe inverted U-shaped frame thus described is braced on its rear side by a pair of inclined braces 14 Whose extremities are clipped or otherwise conven iently secured to the upper edges of the runners and to the standards 10.

Astirrup-iron of inverted U-shape and designated as 14 is secured to the center of the beam 3, and to this there is connected loosely through the medium of a strap-eye 15 a vertical swinging mast 16. Rectangular frames 17 embrace the mast at intervals and are secured thereto at one end, while to the opposite ends of said frames there is secured a shorter mast 18, which is parallel to the mast 16, said masts being preferably rectangular in cross-section and forming opposite guides, whose purpose will be hereinafter described. Secured to the rear sides of the two uppermost frames 17 is apair of runners 19, which, when the masts lie in their lowered positions serve to support the same, and are designed to be dragged over the ground after the machine.

Interposed between the guide-masts 16 and 18 is a crown or head-block 20, and the same is encircled by a metal band 21. A rear pair of guy-ropes 22 are connected at their upper ends to the metal band surrounding the headblook, and at their lower ends are secured to and wound upon therear pair of drums 6. The front pair of guy-ropes 23 are secured to the cross-beam 11 of the inverted U-shaped frame, extend up and through sheaves 24, which are suspended from the front side of the said metal band, depend from the same,

and thence depends, and is passedthrough a, pulley 37, whichis designed to. be. connected removably tothe hooks 38 located at each side ofthe machine and projecting from the run-v To this rope there is, secured a single-r tree i or other mode of draft-appliance, and. through themedium of a horse started from; i the machine at either side thereof, it willbe running over the loose guide-rollers 13, and have their remaining ends made fast to the front pair of winding-drums 6. It will be observed that by operating the front pair of drums the masts may be swung up or down and locked at any elevation; or, furthermore, .by reason of the loose connecting strap-eyebetween the main guide-mast and the stirrup the said masts may be swung laterally so that they may assume a vertical position regardless of the character or inclination of the surface upon whichthe machine sits.

designates a hammer, and the same is provided upon its upper side with astaple or eye 26, and at its opposite edges with vertical grooves 27, said grooves, receiving the masts 16 and 18, whereby the hammeris maintained in position and adapted to slide vertically within said masts. Inasmuch as. the mast 16. is connected to the stirrup a slight distance in rear of the transverse beam 3 it will be apparent that the path of the hammer in a vertical direction is clear and unobstructed, so that an object lying below the hammer may be struck when the latter falls.

28 designates a pair of tong-members, and theyare pivoted together at 29.- and have theirlower extremities beveled so as to engage over the eye of the hammer, and have their upper extremities provided upon their inner faces with inclined or converging surfaces. A spring 30 connects the upper portions of said members, and therefore serves to normally vclose them at their lower ends, but in a yielding manner. A staple or link 31 is connected to the inner ends of a pair of loose links 31,

the ends of which-are connected to the tongs, and in the same is mounted a pulley 32. A suspension-rod 33 is curvedover and sup-.1

ported upon the head-block and terminates at its ends inhooks 34. To the front book there is connected a pulley-sheaf 35, while to the rear hook there is secured one end of the elevating-rope 3.6, the remaining end; of said rope depending and'being passed under the pulley 32, up through the pulley 35,

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seen that the hammer being engaged by the tongs may be elevated to the upper end of theguide frame which the masts form. A. Us shaped link 39 embraces the two upper 'enldsorterminals of the tong'members, and has its terminals pivoted near their extremities;

toa one of said members. From; the center of thisrlink extends an operating rope. 40. Lo,

connected or pivoted as at 42. Opposite faceplates '43 are secured to thetongs and embrace the front and rear faces of the guidemasts, whereby said tongs are maintained in position between themasts.

A lever44 is fulcrumed upon a short standard45, and at its lower end it is shaped to form a convenient handle. The upper end of the lever is pivoted, as at 46 to a transverse bolt 47 located in an opening in one of the masts. By operating the lever in one directionit will beseen that the bolt may be projected into the path of the hammer, and by operating the leverin the opposite direction the inner end of said bolt will be withdrawn from the pathof said hammer.

A staple 48 is secured to; the rear side of the transversebeam3 a shortdistance out of alignment with the, masts, and loosely connected thereto by means of a; strap-eye 49 is i a gage-bar 510. This gage-bar 50 is provided with a series of adjusting holes v51, and upon rations 55, may be brought into alignment with; any one of the adjacentperforations of said-bar, and through the medium of, a pin .56 passed through the; perforations, thesaid head may be secured at; any. point upon the bar.

This completes the construction ofthe machine, and I will now briefly describe the operation thereof:

A team of horses beingattached to:the

draft-beam, the machine is, draggedto the 3 point at which it igsdesired to begin the, building of the fence. If desired the same; team of horses may be employed for raising the hammer, though I prefer to employ three .horses inorder to expedite matters, two of said horses-serving to drag the machine, and 1 the other' horse to elevate. the hammer. The

i;posts-, it will be -understood arepreviously sharpened at their lower ends. in order. to facilitate tlriving,and in this condition one, is placed under orin; the path of the; hammer,

it being understood that priorztosuchloca- *tion of the post the several drumszhad been operated so as to-bringgthe; gu;ide-masts to a vertical position .regardlessof the undulations of the surface of the soil. Thelever44 is then operatedso as towithdraw thesbolt from the path of the hammer and permit: the same toidrop upon thepostand start; the .sa1i1e, after= which the tongs: are dropped and engage with the eye of the :hammer. The horse is now started, :andthew hammer and tongsrise until the wedge 41 comesin 0011-.

tact with the head block at the upper end of the guide-masts, when being forced-down and at the same time the operator grasps the rod that is connected with the link and aided by the spring which has a tendency to draw the upper ends of the tongs together, is enabled to elevate the wedge from its wedging position, and thus permit the tongs when lowered to snap over the eye of the hammer, so that the horse when started again serves to elevate the hammer, and the operation is thus continued indefinitely, or until the post has been driven a desired depth. When this has been accomplished the lever 44 is operated to again lie in the path of the hammer and the gage-head is fixed upon the gage-bar at such a point from the front end thereof as agrees with the desired distance between the posts of the fence, the machine is then started in the line the fence is to be built, and the edge of the bar rides over the side of the post that has just been driven, the machine continuing until the arm 54 of the gage-head reaches or contacts with the post thus driven, when the machine is brought to a stand-still, a new post inserted, and the operation repeated. Through the medium of the gage bar and head it will be seen that the posts may be planted and driven at a uniform distance apart. After the posts have all been planted or set the drums are operated so as to lower the masts to their rearmost positions, wherein the runners 19 rest upon the ground and support the same, and the machine is then dragged from the point of operation.

Various changes of the details of my invention, without departing from the spirit thereof, may be made, and I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit the same in this regard, but hold that I may vary the same and to any extent within the knowledge of the skilled mechanic.

Having described my invention, What I claim is- 1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a portable frame, of an inverted U -shaped guide frame supported thereby, one of the terminals of said guideframe being shorter than the other to form an opening for the admission of a post to the space between the terminals, a hammer arranged in said guide-frame, and means for operating the same, substantially as specified.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with the portable frame, the guide-mast loosely connected thereto and provided upon its rear side with a pair of runners, a drop-hammer located in the guideframe, and means for operating said hammer, of drums located at the opposite corners of the fran1e,-cranks for operating the drums, means for locking the same, and guy-ropes connected to the drums and tothe upper ends of the hammer-supporting frame, substantially as specified.

3. In a machine of theclass described, the combination with the opposite runners, the

transverse connecting beam, the inverted U- shaped vertical frame in-front of said beam, guide-rollers supported thereby, a movable hammer-supporting frame carried by the transverse beam, and runners secured to the under side thereof, of guy-ropes secured to 4:. In a machine of the class described, the

combination with a frame, and a hammersupporting frame carried thereby, of a gagebar loosely connected to the frame and provided with adjacent holes, and a gage-head comprising opposite side pieces engaging the bar, metal-plates having perforations connecting the side pieces, a gage-arm extending from the side pieces, and an adjusting pin for looking the head and bar together, substantially as specified.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a frame, a guide-frame located thereon, and a hammer mounted for movement in the guide-frame, of staples located at opposite sides of the first-mentioned frame,a pulley at the upperend of the guideframe, an elevating rope connected with the hammer and passed over the pulley and provided at one end with a draft device, and a sheave or pulley-block mounted on the elevating rope and adapted to engage either one of the said staples, substantially as specified.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination with opposite runners, a transverse beam, a stirrup-bar mounted on the beam and extending in rear ofthe same, of a mast, a strap-eye loosely engaging the lower end of the mast with the stirrup, a parallel shorter mast, devices for securing the same ICC to the main mast, a hammer located between the masts, and means for raising and lowering the-same, substantially as specified.

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a guide-frame, a hammer recessed at opposite sides and mounted for reciprocation in the guide-frame and provided upon its upper side with an eye, and a head located at the upper end of the guide-frame, of a pair of tongs comprising opposite pivoted members adapted at their lower ends to engage with the eye of the hammer, a spring for normally pressing the lower ends of the tongs together, converging faces at the upper ends of the tongs, a U-shaped link pivoted at its extremities to one of the members of the tongs and embracing the other, an operating rope leading therefrom, a wedge embraced by the link and inolined'faces of the tong members, and an operating rope leading from the pivot of the tongs, substantially as specified.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a guide-frame, a hammer mounted therein and provided with an eye, of a pair of pivoted tong-members spring- 10 pressed together at their lower ends, a wedge located between the tong-members, a stop 10- 4 scones 

